Providence lands a big one in class of 2022 point guard Jayden Pierre
Pierre's commitment is likely not the only shoe to drop this week for Ed Cooley and his staff. See how Pierre fared against some familiar names on the UAA circuit this summer.
Providence’s 2022 recruiting class is starting to come into focus.
On Sunday night point guard Jayden Pierre, who visited both Providence and Minnesota earlier this month, announced his decision to commit to Ed Cooley and the Friars.
This is a big commitment for Providence’s staff, who made point guard a priority in this class. Pierre is the 105th ranked player overall in the class of 2022, according to 247 Sports.
The 6’1 Pierre is extremely quick with the ball in his hands. He attacks the rim and defends with aggression.
Pierre, who attends Long Island Lutheran, visited Providence two weeks ago, and met with Cooley last week. When he arrives on campus he’ll see at least one familiar face, as freshman Rafael Castro and Pierre are products of Team Rio on the summer circuit.
Pierre appeared in three different sessions on the Under Armour Association circuit with Team Rio this past summer, and his play got progressively stronger as the season wore on.
A few things stood out from Pierre’s play this summer: the number of steals he came up with, his ability to fill the stat sheet, and his willingness to hit the glass from the point guard position.
Here’s a look at each session:
July 8-11 in Georgia:
Pierre averaged 12.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and an impressive 2.42 steals per game in the seven contests played in Georgia. Pierre had at least three steals in four of the seven games in this session.
I got my first glimpse of him when his Team Rio squad took a 68-59 win over Bobby Maze Elite and fellow Friar commit Quante Berry. Neither Pierre or Berry were particularly efficient on that day, but Pierre did end the game with 10 points, seven assists, and six rebounds on 4-15 shooting.
Pierre was outstanding against Atlanta Xpress, going for 18 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists on 6-12 shooting from the field, 2-4 from three, and 4-4 at the free throw line.
He struggled to find the touch in this session from inside the arc, making 38% from the field, but he shot 39% from three (9-23) and 73% at the free throw line (11-15).
Team Rio finished 3-4 during this session, including a loss to the Illinois Wolves, who went on to win the UAA title later that summer.
July 16-18 in Texas
Pierre emerged in the second session. His shooting percentages jumped to 50% from the field and 88% at the free throw line, while he still shot a respectable 36% from three.
He had two double doubles — 12 points, 12 rebounds in a 69-61 win over Philly Pride, and 13 points and 11 rebounds in another victory over the Houston Defenders.
Looking for another noteworthy effort? Pierre finished with 11 points, eight assists, and five rebounds in a 57-47 win over Team Curry. That Team Curry group featured Providence center target Christ Essandoko (who is set to announce his commitment on Friday) and recent Duke commit Caleb Foster. Foster finished that game by making 2-14 from the field. Pierre had three steals.
Pierre’s most efficient scoring game came against Pro One, when he shot 8-11 from the field, and 3-5 from deep, in a 19 point, six rebound, four assist effort in a win.
Pierre’s final numbers for this session were outstanding: 13.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game, as Team Rio went 4-1 in their five games.
UAA Finals July 23-25
Pierre shot the ball well from inside the arc, making nearly 47% of his shots from the field, despite going just 1-16 from three in five games. Pierre made 10-13 of his free throws.
Once again, he was great on the glass, and finished with three double doubles — 17/10 in a win over DC Premier, 16/12 in a loss to the Riverside Hawks, and 18/10 in a loss to KC Run GMC.
The win over DC Premier came against a pair of Providence targets at the time in Justyn Fernandez and Christian Watson. Pierre shot 6-11 from the field, made all five free throws he attempted, and came up with four steals to go along with his 17 points and 10 boards.
He had three straight games of seven assists after the DC Premier victory. First, Pierre went for six points, seven assists, and five rebounds in an easy win over WE R1.
Next came a big time effort in a narrow loss to the Riverside Hawks, with Pierre going for 16 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists.
Pierre was then very good against a great KC Run GMC team that featured Kansas commit Gradey Dick and recent K-State pledge Taj Manning. Pierre finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in an 87-72 defeat.
Pierre closed this session averaging 14.2 points, eight rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game.
After a few months of recruiting angst from the program’s diehard fans, it appears as though Providence has the makings of a strong 2022 recruiting class.
Pierre is a true point guard with handles, explosiveness, and an aggressive attitude on both sides of the ball.
He will be joined in the backcourt by the versatile Berry, who will likely now spend most of his PC career off the ball with Pierre in the fold.
It would also be considered a bit of an upset if Providence does not get a third commitment later this week from Berry’s high school teammate at Winston-Salem Christian, Christ Essandoko — a big bodied center from France who is ranked among the top 150 players in the class of 2022.
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coach just doing his job !